Wali
Masculine · “guardian”
Wali is a guardian in Arabic — al-Wali is a divine name — and a wali is also a saint, a friend of God.
How old is the name Wali?
Wali first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Wali alive today was born around 2008, making them about 17 years old. About 1,200 people named Wali are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wali most popular?
Wali peaked in 1975, reaching #1455 nationally. Today it ranks #2421, 966 places below that high. See the whole 1975 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From wali to Wali
The story of Wali
The root behind wali means nearness, which is why the same word covers a guardian, an ally and a saint — all defined by proximity. Al-Wali is a divine name, and the awliya are the friends of God in Sufi thought. Wali is standard across Muslim naming and appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
guardian, protector, friend of God
From the Arabic wali, 'guardian', 'protector' or 'ally', from a root meaning nearness. Al-Wali is among the ninety-nine divine names. In Sufi usage a wali is a saint — one brought near to God. The Arabic is documented and the double sense genuine.
How the name formed
- wali
- Wali
Related forms: ولي · Wali · Veli
Pronouncing Wali
WAH-lee
Two syllables, stress on the first. Turkish Veli has a fronted first vowel.
Nicknames for Wali
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1951
- Most boys named
- 202556 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1455reached in 1975
- Change vs 2024
- +55.6%56 in 2025, from 36
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Wali in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- ولي in Arabic — transliteration
- Wali in Urdu — same name
- Veli in Turkish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Texas, California.
Walis among us
people named Wali are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 30,501 born in 2025 was named Wali
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Wali
- #2421
- Wali on the 2025 chart
- #856
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Wali went to 56 boys in 2025, but Wally is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 72, which makes it the 856th most-given boys’ name of the year — 1,565 places above the chart.
- Wali56
- Wally16
About 1 boy in 23,723 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 30,501 for Wali itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lauro test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Wali's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lauro climbed just as high around 1933, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lauro's path sketches the road Wali is walking now.
Wali sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Wali is headed
Wali is easing off slowly — about 16% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Wali beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Wali in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That guardian, ally and saint are one word because all mean nearness is a first-rate idea.
- It is one of the ninety-nine divine names.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It reads as specifically Muslim.
- Wally is a strong and comic English association.
- In some regions it is also an administrative title.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Wali to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Wali? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Wali
Masculine · #2421 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Walis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,200 people named Wali are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Wali?
- Wali is the most-used spelling in US records — 56 of the 72 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Wally.
- How popular is the name Wali in 2025?
- Wali ranks #2421 among US boy names in 2025, with 56 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Wali?
- About 1 in every 30,501 US boys born in 2025 was named Wali — 56 in all.
- Will my child share the name Wali with classmates?
- Wali will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Wali
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Idrees#2421 · Rahmir#2421 · Jin#2421 · Fitzgerald#2421 · Woodson#2421 · Pranav#2421 · Domenico#2421 · Darnell#2421
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Wali? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Wali and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle